Summer means more time outdoors–and more opportunity for annoying critters to bite you. Most of the time, all you’ll get is a little red bump with itching and maybe a little swelling. These insect bite symptoms can be treated easily with anti-itch creams and over-the-counter antihistamines. Occasionally, bites can cause allergic reactions that lead to severe swelling and shortness of breath; if that happens to you this season, you need to be seen by a doctor.

Just came back from a hotel stay, have one VERY itchy bite on my wrist. I don’t know for sure that it is a bed bug bite butI haven’t unpacked my bags yet, so hopefully everything is safe. Right now I have an aloe and lidocaine gel over the bite, but when I get home I may try soaking it in tea bath. the tannin in black tea can also help with itching and swelling.

Hey Walter! I always recommend natural treatments (a few are outlined in this article) but based on your description, I recommend seeking professional medical assistance. When it comes to bed bugs, if there are a few bites that are not swollen or inflamed, you can usually just treat them with a cream but if you are having an adverse allergic reaction, you may need something much stronger. Keep an eye on it and rather be safe then sorry
According to textile experts (Drycleaning & Laundry Institute, Laurel, MD), most garments designated as ‘dry-clean only’ (e.g., cotton, wool, silk, linen, rayon, nylon) will not be harmed provided they are dry before being placed in a clothes dryer at a moderate temperature setting. Dry cleaning procedures also kill bed bugs, but there is a risk of infesting the establishment when buggy items are tagged and sorted.
Recently I went to Dubai, I stayed at my husband’s rental furnished flat. The next morning I was covered with bites. Immediately I knew its big bites but don’t know it’s bed bugs until I google search online a few days. I was so allergic to the bites & can’t stop scratching them. At last I went to a local pharmacy and got this ‘Fenistil Gel’ AKA Dimetindene maleate. it works really well. My bites stop itching, swelling reduced. Some bites I need to applied the gel 1-2 times a day then it stopped bothering me. The only problem now is the marks never go away. :(
I have no idea what works…. all the benedryl, cortizone, calamine lotion, and any cream/ointment said that they help with insect bites DOES NOT work. Once you start scratching, it’s over, you are going to scratch until the cows come home. If I am able to the trick is not to scratch at all. The enzyme is only released when you scratch, unless you are highly allergic like the picture that is show above, and I thought I was allergic, guess not.
Many chemical pesticides are available, with more than 300 registered by the EPA. Pesticides should be applied to walls, floors, cracks in furniture, and seams and buttons of mattresses.21 The EPA’s Bed Bug Products search tool (Web site: http://cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/bedbug/) allows users to search by product name, company, EPA registration number, location of intended use, and pesticide type. The National Pesticide Information Center (Web site: http://npic.orst.edu/; telephone: 800-858-7378) is another useful resource. Silica gel dusts are a safer alternative to traditional pesticides, because they are less concentrated and less toxic.21 Plastic mattress and pillow encasements can help trap bedbugs and restrict spread.42 Regardless of the integrated pest management strategy used, a follow-up inspection 10 to 21 days after extermination is advised to detect and manage a persistent infestation.42

I was in europe and have always been healthy and felt fine the 2 months while there, on my drive back home I started itching my arm and didn’t think much of it. During the next few days to weeks the itching turned into welts that itched like crazy and got bigger and harder within hours. The redness would then extend out apx. the size of a 50 cent piece that would form a small scab in the middle as it would heal. Then it would heal , but the next few welts would appear in different places. They would start off as itchy flat red circles that would quickly become firm and red. I sometimes would also feel stings all over . I’ve had this problem now for over a month. One dr. told me I had mites, another said I had bed bugs. I have small scars all over my body now. I used the all over cream 4 nights ago that is supposed to kill mites. The itching is still there but not quite as bad today and yesterday. I’ m going for a third opinion tomorrow. I never knew that itching can keep me from working or actually doing anything else except for keeping calamine lotion beside me and rubbing it on me every 10 minutes. Good luck to all of you that are dealing with the same nightmare.

Zonalon and Prudoxin (doxepin) are topical creams that can be prescribed for relief from itching. The active ingredient in these products is a topical tricyclic antidepressant and seems to work against itching by reducing histamine. Histamines are chemicals your body produces in response to injury or when having an allergic reaction. A prescription-strength cortisone cream may also help. In some cases, a prescription antihistamine will be given.
Around the time I started getting bites, I noticed more and more neighbors throwing out mattresses, furniture… I got suspicious. We live in apartments. I react differently to different kinds of bites so I can always tell the difference between mosquitoes and ants and such. I didn’t know what those bites were until I caught one of the little hellions crawling across the sheets.
Bed bugs are not too picky when it comes to feeding. As long as skin is exposed, it’s a juicy target. However, it seems that bed bugs enjoy feeding on the neck region, making their feeding habits very close to those sparkly vampires you see on Twilight. Since most people wear pajamas when they go to sleep, other common areas for bites include the arms, hands, feet and face since they are also exposed. If you are sleeping in a hotel and are nervous about bed bugs, simply wear extra clothing to completely cover your skin. You can also purchase plastic covers to protect yourself against these pests while sleeping out.

I was at a motel for a week, and had no problems with bed bugs. I then left to go to a shelter, because I had no more money to pay for a motel. The second day I went job searching all day, and started itching really bad on the back of my neck. At first I thought it was from the heat, and from me sweating. I then looked at my neck and noticed red swelling bites on my neck, and I scratched it to make the itch go away. I then noticed as the day progressed that it was spreading fast up the back of my neck. Now I’m getting worried, what is this, and why is it itching and spreading so fat. I asked the shelter workers what they thought it was and they said, I don’t know, but you can take anti-itching cream. I took the cream and put it on my neck, the itching went away, but the bites still were there. The next day I wake up and I have another bite on my upper right arm, and a bite on my right thumb. That night I talked to a resident staying there, and she said you have bed bug bites. I was so disgusted and scared. She then told me that three other people had the same problem I did, with the red bumps on their neck too, and they had left because of it. I want your advice on if I should persue legal action. Thank YoU

However, another thing which has helped me with the intense itching is a regular hair brush! I was scratching so much that I grabbed the hair brush and used that to cover more territory! I have found that even if I “brush” intensely, it will not bleed and slowly the itching will subside. I have also heard of a quirky aid in “bug direction”…..used dryer sheets will discourage bugs from the area….what I saw was the sheets tucked in between the mattress and box spring by each bedpost.
The exact causes of this resurgence remain unclear; it is variously ascribed to greater foreign travel, increased immigration from the developing world to the developed world, more frequent exchange of second-hand furnishings among homes, a greater focus on control of other pests, resulting in neglect of bed bug countermeasures, and increasing resistance to pesticides.[4][38] Declines in household cockroach populations that have resulted from the use of insecticides effective against this major bed bug predator have aided the bed bugs' resurgence, as have bans on DDT and other potent pesticides.[39][medical citation needed]
As if you needed something else to worry about, bedbugs, those pests from the old bedtime rhyme are making a comeback. More of a nuisance than a health hazard, they’re showing up to suck blood from people in hotels, college dorms, and hospitals. Take an informative look at bedbugs: what they are, where they lurk, and how to spot them before they get you.